Iggy and Bill's Epic Collab Extravanagnza!
by Iggy the Strong and Free
Summary: Join two OC teams as they face everything Beacon can throw at them! Be prepared for adventure, humor, spontaneity, and probably more than a few crack moments. I promise it'll be worth your while!
1. Chapter 1

**Ay guys! My good buddy Bill Friday and I decided to do a chill little RWBY OC fic! I've always wanted to do one! Chapters are gonna be short and it'll be so relaxed it'll knock your socks off! Keep in mind this work is by no way mine alone, Bill Friday has probably put just as much work into this as I have and he deserves just as much credit. Go love him! **

**Dedicated to Monty Oum. May such a brilliant man rest in peace**

**"I believe that the human spirit is indomitable. If you endeavor to achieve, it will happen given enough resolve. It may not be immediate, and often your greater dreams is something you will not achieve within your own lifetime. The effort you put forth to anything transcends yourself, for there is no futility even in death."**

Mason's scar prickled.

He shifted in his seat on the airship, hoping that scratching it on the plastic back would eradicate the itch. Alas, his efforts were successful and the itch slowly decreased its intensity until it was nothing. The scar in question was nearly an inch wide and ran from the left side of his neck, going down and crossing over his spine before ending on the right side near his waist. It was half the reason he wore a blue scarf on top of his black jacket and blue under-shirt, frankly he was just plain embarrassed at it. Anyone who saw him scarfless from the side or behind was bound to see the result of not watching your back in a fight with a Beowolf.

"Hey." Mason said cheerfully to someone sitting several seats down. He was a male his age, but taller and more slim, but in a near elegant way. His entire outfit was a grey cloth wrap and he was barefoot, with a black sword scabbard at his waist.

"Don't." The man turned to Mason as he spoke, making his long, shaggy black hair shake.

"Thanks for shutting me down early..." A sweatdrop appeared on Mason's short brown hair. He turned his entire body to look the other way, only to feel a new weight on his shoulder.

An adorable sigh then came from his right, originating from a girl as old as him with black, thickly curled hair. The owner of this incredible hairdo was wearing a black lace trimmed hoop skirt with a white frilled blouse and violet tie with a black bell sleeved jacket. She leaned against him, apparently fast asleep with a little smile on her cute face.

"What the hell..." Mason whispered quietly.

Suddenly the girl gave a cute yawn as it looked like she was waking up, seeming just from his whisper. As she opened her eyes she looked up. "Oh, big brother?"

"Um... I believe you're mistaken..." Mason said with wide eyes and a blush, slowly leaning away from the strange lady without realizing it.

"I am?" She said rubbing the last bits of sleep from her eyes. She let out an equally adorable yawn as she did so. "Oh, I guess I am..."

"Why did you fall asleep on public transportation?" Mason asked in a scolding, brotherly tone. "That's dangerous! What if I was a pervert or something?"

"Isn't it obvious?" She said and snuggled against him. "You're obviously not a pervert yourself since you just said all of that."

"I just don't want anyone to get hurt." Mason defended. "But seriously... why are you clinging to me?"

"Remember what I said earlier? You're like my big brother." She explained and cuddled even closer.

"I don't feel comfortable with this!" Mason muttered, leaping into the air and comically clinging to a roof beam like a sloth.

"Oh c'mon, I was just saying nice things to you!" The girl said as she jumped after him, reaching high but unable to reach him.

Mason clung tighter to the beam whenever she jumped in order to keep out of her reach. "Are you always this cuddly with strangers?!" He exclaimed.

"Only the ones I know are good people" The air began whirling under her as she shifted into a comfortable sitting position a couple feet off the ground.

"You know next to nothing about me!" Mason exclaimed, pulling himself up and perching on the bar like a bird.

"Then let's get to know each other better." She smirked and floated over to him, taking a seat on the same beam as him. "My name is Pepper Miller by the way."

"I'm Mason Marcotte." He answered, frowning at the floating act. He sensed some minor air movement on his skin, could she control wind?

Pepper's face dropped as she thought for a moment, something about his name was familiar to her. She dropped it after a few moments, Finally replying to his statement. "See, now was that so hard?" Pepper asked with a cute, dimpled grin. "I already know you're a nice guy, so there's that too. What do you like to do in your free time?"

"Well I'm from a very cold place, so I'm kind of a master snow fort builder." Mason joked, inspecting his nails in pride. "I also like to hang out with friends and joke around in general, I guess. Anything with other people is my hobby, I don't work well alone."

"Are there any old girlfriends from back home that you want to get out of the way?" Pepper asked, blushing and smiling down at the floor of the airship. She didn't even notice she had begun to twist a strand of hair around her finger.

Mason let out a good-humored laugh. "Let's just say I don't do well romantically."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Pepper was now staring daggers at Mason while leaning steadily closer to his face with her killer glare.

"Why does that make you angry!?" Mason disappeared in a flash, now cowering in a corner. "I just meant that girls don't usually like me in that sense!"

"I like you." Pepper mumbled beside him, somehow teleporting there.

"How do you move like that!? And why are you so weird?!" Mason dashed behind a row of chairs.

Pepper sat on the chair Mason was currently hiding behind. "The truth is, Mason Marcotte, that there's no such thing as normal, so as much as I like your compliment it's rendered moot."

Mason sighed, barely registering her strange words anymore. "Is there any real way to shake you?" He asked hopefully.

"Do I look that easy to get rid of!?" She was suddenly giving him the most devilish grin she could muster, while a black aura began to float off of her.

"Talk about two faced!" Mason immediately shied away in fear. "You went from cute to devil in a second..."

"Hey, I'm not that scary!" She said, getting up from the chair. She tried to fake a trip, sending her body in Mason's direction.

Mason rolled his eyes, catching her in two PG-13 places and helping her to her feet.

"Oh, thanks." Pepper grinned as she was helped up. The moment her feet hit the ground, the airship seemed to drop a foot.

"Someone needs to lay off the second helping." Mason muttered with an impish grin. Pepper scoffed and slapped him, but that didn't stop him from laughing.

Once the two had calmed down, they began to look for the source of the drop. "Could we have hit something?" Mason wondered.

"Possibly." Pepper suddenly leapt into his arms. When Mason frowned at her, she insisted: "We could crash again!"

As predicted, a loud crash resounded as the airship shook again. "Let's go check it out!" Mason used it as an excuse to dart out of the too-close situation.

A hand grabbed his and suddenly Pepper was running up next to him. "Could you be any more impatient, Mason?"

Mason rolled his eyes before turning a corner, seeing a number of masked men enter the ship.

"I'll protect you!" Pepper quickly shoved Mason into a corner and sat down in front of him. "They're not supposed to be here, so this can't be good."

"I'm guessing they are boarding us." Mason grunted awkwardly, trying to reposition himself without Pepper noticing.

"That's obvious." Pepper grunted. "The question is, why?"

"Maybe you should try to listen to what they are saying." Mason whispered, trying to hear the mumbles coming from around the corner.

"Sure, meanwhile we let them take the airship and then do god knows what with it!" Pepper shot back.

"Do you intend to take them on?!" Mason exclaimed in a whisper. "We have no idea how many of them there are!"

"Good point." She mumbled before peeking around the corner trying to get a good look in at the group. "I think I might have an idea, Mason, and we'll need to work together for it."

"Oh?" He asked. "How do you know I can help you in this plan?"

"Again, good judge of character." She said, pointing and smiling to herself. "I can tell we're both gonna be students at Beacon, so we should be capable."

"So you're going to Beacon as a student too?" Mason's face lit up with intrigue.

"Yes." She said her expression dropping. "But I doubt that's a point of concern now..."

"Good point, what's this plan of yours?" He asked.

"Firstly..." She said, pressing herself against Mason while she climbed up his front and "accidentally" placing her small chest near his face. "Give me a boost to get up on those beams."

"Jesus!" Mason yelled, flying backwards and throwing her high in the air in the process.

"The hell?" She barely managed to keep her voice down as she suddenly grabbed hold of the nearest beam she was thrown into. "You idiot! Get up here before they see us!"

Mason barely contained a furious response at why it was actually her fault, barely. He grabbed at his side and a chain flew out suddenly, stabbing into the beam beside Pepper. He pulled himself back up and sheathed the weapon, sitting beside her. The movement was so quick and graceful she hardly saw the tool used for it.

Several of the masked men peeked around the corner moments after Mason got up on the beam. "Shit, that was close." She breathed before turning to Mason. "Why did you throw me like that? I was trying to be discreet!"

"Well why were you motorboating me?" Mason shot at her in response.

"How else was I supposed to get up? My semblance is noisy as hell!" Pepper explained. "Also, for the record, you'd better be glad I'm fine with guys I happen to trust feeling me up one in a while." Mason immediately fell off the beam, blood pouring from his nose. "Now c'mon, we need to– Shit!" Pepper reached down and caught him by the leg of his pants "Oh man, I'm so sorry Mason!"

"Let's just take them on..." Mason muttered, furiously trying to clean his upper lip.

"Okay." Pepper sighed before shoving Mason from the ledge and over an oncoming barrage of hijackers.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?!" Mason exclaimed as he fell through the air, frantically trying to grab onto a handhold. He managed to land unsteadily on his feet.

"Full on attack!" She replied as she threw herself in Mason's direction.

Mason growled before grabbing two small poles from his side, under his jacket. At first they were slightly bigger than his hand, but they soon extended to over a foot in length. They then sprouted a large crescent-shaped blade that reached both sides of the tip. In the span of a second he was holding two small scythes.

The hijackers didn't take time to gaze in awe at the blue and silver weapons before charging at him. Mason immediately began throwing his arms around in what seemed to be a random formation. He sped up his whirling flurry of attacks, utilizing every possible edge on his two scythes to keep the hijackers off him. Every time a sword was pressed forward it was deflected in an instant, every bullet ricocheted. After ten seconds of this, he had cleared a short radius around him.

Pepper appeared at the back of the pack of hijackers. She pulled out a short shaft from under her skirt, holding it out towards the opponent. It immediately extended and folded outwards, topping the long pole off with a long blade.

Pepper snickered as she held onto her naginata with both hands. "Surprise!" she yelled. With a single swipe she knocked down three baddies. She spun it above her head towards her other hand, landing more strikes in the process, before finally doing a sweep attack and clearing a large area in front of her.

Once Mason had a little room, he could fight to his full potential. With a flick of his wrist, lengths of chain shot out from either end of his scythes. He threw his right scythe past a guy before returning it to his hand. He pulled the captured hijacker taught before swinging him around, knocking down some more hijackers. He used the mid range of the chain to its full potential as he clashed with more opponents, a single slap from the iron loops knocked out more than a few teeth.

"We have to get to the fight deck, Mason!" Pepper shouted as she wrapped her legs around a man's neck. She launched herself by pushing her staff against the ground, throwing the man into a pile of his friends before swiping her staff behind her, landing a slash across an approaching opponent's face.

Mason flipped the blades of his scythes into the handles with a flick of his arms. He got down on a knee and held them outwards as they folded one more time. He began firing large bullets into the fray with his new large handguns, hoping to create an opening to escape through.

"No time for that!" Pepper appeared beside him, quickly grabbing his arm. She breathed in a huge breath, puffing out her cheeks, before letting it out, Surprisingly, it came out as a raging cyclone appear around them. The vertical tunnel of rotating wind blasted the two through any remaining opponents without losing much speed.

"AHHHH WHAT THE HELL!?" Mason spun through the cyclone furiously, not knowing where he was or what was happening around him.

"Aaaaand... STOP" Pepper suddenly planted her boot heel on the ground, digging it into the metal plating of the ship. It brought the two to a halt at a literal break-neck speed.

"Huh..." Mason's pupils wouldn't stop spinning and he couldn't find his balance.

"Oh brother." She mumbled, grabbing the poor boy and setting him on the ground. "I'm guessing you need a short break?"

"I'll go when my stomach stops doing acrobat shows..." He muttered.

"Okay." Pepper agreed, grabbing him by the collar and dragging him away. "Our priority is to get to the deck and take back the airship and land it somehow."

Mason rolled his eyes at her. And she called _him _impatient."I doubt hijackers have harmed anyone, they probably want to land it somewhere and demand Lien." Mason explained. "The pilots are probably safe and alive."

"Then all we need to do is beat up a couple more baddies on the flight deck!" Pepper exclaimed excitedly.

"While we wait, wanna explain what that semblance is?" Mason asked.

"I can create small cyclones." Pepper grinned, creating cheek dimples again.

"So you just take in a breath, let it out and boom there's a cyclone?" He asked.

"I prefer channeling it through my feet." She replied, lifting herself off the ground. "And I use my hoop skirts to keep me afloat!"

"How clever." Mason commented in a mutter, starting to come to. "Wish I knew what my semblance was..."

"Why thank you!" Pepper was suddenly gushing over the compliment she was given, causing her to come to a grinding halt in her movement as she was steps away from the flight deck, right where several other hijackers were standing at. "I did design all my skirts and dresses to be like this after all."

"Heads up, Pepper!" Mason called out, leaping out of the way.

"Huh?" A second later she yelped and swung her staff, knocking several guys out of her way.

"Doesn't that thing have a ranged mode? Take them out before they get here!" He exclaimed.

An exclamation point came up over her head suddenly. "Oh yeah!" In the time it took Mason to facepalm, her staff collapsed into six pieces which aligned themselves before extending, creating a large Gatling gun. She immediately grinned and aimed it at several soldiers. "Come and get me boys!" She mowed down the few men present in the flight deck.

"Wow." Mason said simply as the last men fell. 'That's the last of them. Where did you get that thing?"

"I made it myself, duh." Pepper answered. "The Miller family is the highest authority on Huntsman and Huntress weaponry. I made Belle Muerte last year!"

Mason put away his scythes at his back, suddenly feeling slightly inferior to her incredibly weapon.

"Hey! Don't put it way, I want to see it! What is it called?" Pepper insisted.

"It doesn't have a name right now." Mason chuckled as he walked away from her. "Don't worry Pep, we'll see each other plenty at Beacon. If you don't mind, I would like a quiet ride until we reach Beacon."

"Don't call me Pep, Boy Scout..."Pepper frowned, crossing her arms.


	2. Chapter 2

Mason came off of the airship with a smile. He was in above-average spirits for various reasons. First of all, the view of Beacon currently before him was many times more beautiful than any landscape he had ever seen. Secondly, he was at the prestigious Beacon Academy, why the hell wouldn't he smile? Above all else, he had made a new friend in Pepper. He hadn't even started on his current excitement to start the year or his double excitement for the upcoming entrance exams and team allotment.

From what he had interpreted while eavesdropping other student's conversations, assisted by his own common sense, Mason made his way to the auditorium for the entrance ceremony. As he walked on the concrete path, smile broad and chin high, he waved cheerfully to two female students sitting on a bench. They simply glared at him as he walked by.

"City people are so weird..."Mason forced his smile to stay on his face as he slowly lowered his arm, sweatdropping. "It's weird not to know everyone, like in Yukisu." You see, Mason was from a tiny, isolated mountain town far to the north that survived mostly because very few Grimm could thrive in those temperatures, even if they did manage to climb the slope. It only had about 300 residents and its economy was based around hunting, trapping, substinence agriculture and livestock. Mason was the first resident to actually permanently leave the village in over ten years.

"Are those... cabbages?" Mason looked at the planters at Beacon only to see that each one held a single, well maintained head of cabbage. Mason hesitantly reached out a finger to poke it and make sure this wasn't some kind of joke.

"HANDS OFF THE CABBAGES, LADDIE!" Mason's trained reflexes were the only thing that pulled his finger away in time to save them from the shears that snapped shut a hair's breadth from his nail.

"What the hell?!" Mason exclaimed, stepping back. He now saw the culprit, a shivered, hunched old man with a wispy beard and faded overalls.

"I saw ya! You were trying to steal my babies!" Jenkins squinted at him, shaking the rusty shears in his direction.

"I was wondering why there were cabbages in the planters..." Mason sweatdropped.

"Ignorant dunkelbumser!" Jenkins snapped, getting on his knees and carefully trimming wayward edges of the cabbage leaves. He managed to maintain the utmost focus on the task while continuing his speech. "Cabbage provides you with special cholesterol-lowering benefits! Our ancient ancestors originally believed that cabbages were gods and worshipped them as such! Cabbages prevent cancer! It has glucosinolates and myrosinase enzymes and plenty of other good things!"

"I'll take your word for it, Mr...?" Mason responded.

"Sir Ernest Jenkins." He smiled broadly, which looked just plain creepy.

"My name is Mason." The boy said as politely as he could, backing away slowly. Thank god the man went back to his cabbage pruning. "For some reason I highly doubt that a crazy groundskeeper was knighted..." Mason grumbled as he walked back towards Beacon.

The ground shook. Mason immediately lowered his stance and scanned the surrounding area. Earthquakes in Vale were rare-

The earth shook again, and then a third time. While Mason was wondering what in Remnant's name was happening he was trampled by a 6'8" large black male that probably didn't even notice him.

"I've gotta get tuh the gym!" The man exclaimed in a slightly dopey manner, his powerful footsteps rattling loose lamp posts and garbage cans as he walked.

"Nurse..." Mason cried weakly, his broken body attempting to raise a hand in the air.

"Huh?" The man turned around before his eyes went wide. He began to slowly walk towards Mason.

"They say the killer always returns to the crime scene, don't they?" Mason remembered with fear. The large man said nothing as he picked up Mason in both arms.

Finally, he broke out in a huge torrent of tears.

"I'M SORRY MISTER!" He cried. The arcing streams of water flowing from his eye sockets rivaled those of the fountains beside them. "I didn't mean to hurt nobody!"

"Um, it's alright?" Mason said in confusion, half because of the crying act and half due to the fact he was being held bridal style.

"Okay!" The mountain of a man looked incredibly relieved, wiping his wet cheeks on the sleeves of his 4XL black t-shirt. "My name is Nixon! What's yours? Are you okay? Can I help you out somehow?"

"Uh, yeah I'm fine. My name is Mason Marcotte, and I was trying to get to the gym." Mason answered.

"I really like helping people!" Nixon exclaimed before darting off towards the gym, carrying Mason there.

"No, its fine, really-HOW ARE YOU GOING THIS FAST?!" Mason clung to Nixon for dear life as the huge man got up to speed in several seconds, moving like the wind and slamming his feet down so hard Mason was surprised they didn't crack the ground open. The wind began to catch his open mouth and eyelids, prying them wide and pulling them backwards. Nixon seemed to be unaffected by this.

"We're here!" Nixon stopped suddenly, throwing Mason in the air. He landed harshly, scorpioning right in the doorway.

"I think we broke the sound barrier like three times and the path at least six..." He muttered, his pupils replaced by spinning spirals.

"Aren't you so excited to be here!?" Nixon grabbed his collar and heaved him to his feet.

"I feel like I might not survive long enough to actually attend classes..." Mason muttered, stretching his arm experimentally as they walked forward

"What do you mean?" Nixon frowned at him.

"Uh, never mind." Mason tried to smile convincingly. "I'm really excited to go to school here too, Nixon! Wait... you're a student?" Mason looked him up and down. He wore regular clothes, showed no sign of weapon, and had a personality not exactly suited for battle.

"Yup! I'm strong like a grizzly bear, and that's why I've got this tail!" Nixon turned around, showing a small, puffy tail that sprouted from just above his rear.

"A grizzly bear faunus." Mason realized, nodding slowly. "That makes a whole lot of sense..." he added, not stopping his nodding.

Mason was about to say something when a mic shrieked sharply.

"SHH!" Nixon screamed suddenly, slamming his index finger into Mason's mouth and nearly knocking out a tooth. "The old man is about to talk, and Momma always said it's rude not to listen to other people when they are talking!"

"I'll keep this brief." A man said. Mason turned to see that he was sitting on the stage and sporting spectacles, a cane and grey hair.

"You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you are finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy in need of purpose, direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Nixon began to clap uncontrollably. Mason sweat-dropped, stopping the sole applause with a single hand.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight." A younger blonde lady said as she walked up to the mic. "Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

They walked off the stage together. Mason barely heard their chatter.

"Now we have to deal with the groundskeeper, the fool is ripping out the flowers and putting in cabbages again!"

"Well you have to admit, the old man keeps the place interesting."

"Does that mean we are all sleeping in the gym?" Nixon asked Mason. Mason nodded. He immediately began to blush and sweat at the same time. "M-my Momma wouldn't like it if she knew I was sleeping with all of these girls. She said I'm too young for that."

Mason lightly placed a palm against his forehead. "Nixon, I believe your mother was referring to something else..." He said. The words were probably cryptic to the poor guy. "You know what, forget about it. Let's go get our luggage and change. They should have sleeping rolls for us."

"Sleeping rolls?" Nixon thought for a moment before his face lit up. "Is that a bed time snack? Like cabbage rolls? Or crescent rolls?"

"Someone is hungry." Mason chuckled. "It means sleeping bag, by the way."

O

Mason smoothed the wrinkles out of the sleeping roll the Academy had let him borrow. Sleep? How was he supposed to sleep when he was so excited? Tomorrow would be when he was assigned to his team and go through the entrance exam. He was also incredibly nervous because of _that_, but he tried not to think of it.

"Excuse me; do you have any mouth wash that I could borrow?" A familiar voice asked him from behind him.

"Oh, hey Pepper. The mouthwash should be in my shaving kit on the floor." Mason got up and turned to her. He flourished his arm towards his new friend. "Pepper, meet Nixon!"

"Hi! I like your nightgown!" Nixon waved.

"Hello," She said brightly to Nixon, thanking him and gushing briefly over her gown. "And Mason, do you really shave?" Pepper teased.

"Not often." Mason chuckled. "I've got the face of a baby. I just call it that because it sounds better than toiletry bag."

"Just wait until you're twenty, scruffy peach fuzz could woo any girl you want." She added looking over to a white haired girl with large breasts and a silver nightgown. "Even Miss Triple D over there if you like."

"Scruffy? I thank you for your optimism about my chin." Mason joked, fluffing his pillow.

"You're welcome." She replied, putting her head on said pillow.

Mason sweat-dropped. "You don't have your own bed?"

"Hey! You aren't allowed to sleep with him!" Nixon pointed.

"Not gonna sleep here, big guy." She assured him. "I'm just playing a bit with the boy scout here is all."

"He's a boy scout?" Nixon frowned.

"It's her nickname for me, don't know why..." Mason sweatdropped.

"It's because you act like one you adorable dope." She said tugging at a tuff of his scruffy brown hair. "That or a chivalrous knight, but boy scout is better for now."

"You're right, he's guy a big softie!" Nixon slapped Mason on the back, which nearly broke his spine and sent him tumbling for at least twenty meters.

"You don't know your own strength..." Pepper replied, half terrified. "If he doesn't get up in the next fifteen seconds we ought to go check if he's fine."

"I'm sorry!" Nixon bawled. "I didn't mean to hurt him!"

"He's a tough cookie Nix." Pepper assured him. "I wouldn't worry that badly. Speaking of, Mason, you okay?!"

"I think I broke my Solar Plexus." Mason groaned.

"I don't know what that is, but it sounds important..." Nixon sobbed in guilt.

"Yeah, I think you'd better bring him over." Pepper recommended. Nixon hadn't taken a step before Mason sprang to his feet.

"I'M FINE!" He yelled, sprinting back to the two. "I've ridden the Nixon Express once and I don't plan on doing it again!"

"Doesn't surprise me." She muttered flatly, looking at the big teddy bear of a man.

"We should get to sleep because we have a big day tomorrow!" Nixon exclaimed.

"Yeah Pepper, do you know anything about what is happening?" Mason rubbed his sore... everything.

"No idea!" She said half excitedly as she plopped into Mason's sleeping bag. "I just know I'm excited for this over blown pajama party!"

Nixon lifted Pepper up by the scruff of her neck. "Bad!" he scolded, shaking a finger at her. "That's Mason's bag! You have to sleep in your own bag!"

"Oh I-I-I'm sorry..." Pepper apologized. She took on a cute face and grew puppy ears and a tail for a moment while tears gathered in her eyes.

"I'm sorry!" Nixon placed her in Mason's bed. "Please don't cry!" He fluffed her pillow, tucked her in, placed a glass of warm milk by her bed and began to read her a bed time story in the span of six seconds.

"Well... This is thorough." She said half stunned and confused. "Thanks Nixon..."

"And then the little train-" Nixon looked up at her with a very worried face. "It's okay, just... please don't cry again!"

"Do you know the eye drop brand called Crocodile Tears, big guy?" She asked while sweat dropping.

"What, your eyes are dry?" Nixon asked before whirling on Mason. "We need eye drops! Pepper has dry eyes!"

"This is unbelievable." She muttered incredulously.

"I'm sorry Pepper I don't think we have eye drops..." Nixon bowed his head in shame.

"I meant something else, Nix." Pepper sighed.

"I don't understand..." Nixon muttered.

"Leave it be, big guy." Mason placed a hand on his shoulder. "Now you're probably blocking Pepper's view of all the shirtless guys, so get to your sleeping roll." He chuckled.

"Oh, now you're doing me a kindness." Pepper said seductively before looking over her beef cake buffet, licking her lips.

Mason chuckled before walking to his bag and taking off his scarf before discarding his jacket and shirt.

"Mason hon, do you fancy any of these fine ladies here?" Pepper asked him in a very sophisticated Southern accent.

"Romance is the last thing on my mind." Mason admitted, turning so his back was facing her. His large scar going down his back would now be visible.

"Okay, what gives?" Pepper asked, dead serious as she looked at him. She thought nothing of his scar, assuming it to be just that, a scar. There was another more pressing issue on her mind about him.

"What? The lack of romance?" Mason turned to face her. "For the past 17 years most of my female peers were my cousins or childhood friends. Didn't I tell you I grew up in the hills? Not exactly exposed to romance."

"No, you didn't."Pepper said disapprovingly. "So any girl you meet you're gonna project your sisters or cousins onto them? Ew..."

"I'm not dumb enough to do that!" Mason defended. "I was just trying to say that it's not like I've dated a lot of girls!"

"Well then, these next several years will be your personal gold mine, Mason." She said seriously and assuring to him.

"Personal gold mine? Is that supposed to be a gold digger joke?" Nixon's head shot up suddenly, thinking he understood a hidden meaning. He was sleeping in a custom made sleeping bag which was really two of them zipped together at the edges.

"Close..." Pepper muttered as she settled in. "I'm just saying you've got plenty of girls here, this city is your playground. Someday I may even help you with your lady troubles."

"Hey! I don't have lady troubles!" Mason defended. "What if I don't want to be in a relationship?" He questioned while settling in his sleeping bag beside the two.

"One day, you're gonna eat those words." Pepper promised.

"Romantically, girls are confusing to me." Mason got comfortable. "I just don't know what I'm feeling right now. It's like never hearing of a food other than mashed potatoes your whole life, and then you're thrown in a buffet with foods from across Remnant. Do you take a bite of one? Will it taste bad? Will it taste good? Will it upset your stomach? You've never experienced anything like this food before and it all seems so strange, you've got no clue how to judge their taste by their look or smell. In this state of confusion, wouldn't you go back to reliable old mashed potatoes too?"

Nixon's stomach growled loudly. "Sorry..." He whispered. "You're making me hungry."

"Not really." She answered. "Food metaphors aside, you can't treat romance like you would... In that sense, because love isn't something that can be explained or properly tested out and such. Like all other emotions love it's a very confusing, shambling mess that really doesn't make sense." A grin broke over Pepper's face. "But it's also what makes it so wonderful, and nice, and better when you share it with someone you love. It softens the heart and makes you gentler. Love doesn't need to make sense because you have it and it feels so warm and satisfying. Do you understand Mason?"

"I hear you loud and clear Pepper." Mason answered, switching his strategy. "'I'm just... hesitant. Put that feeling in the hands of the wrong person and it'll recoil on you tenfold."

"Then don't let that be your only experience." She said tilting her head up to look at him. "Go out and try again, but this time you'll know what girl would be right for you and who won't. Trust me I've been in that same boat and I'm barely sixteen."

"How did you get in this school then if you're a year young?" Mason took the opportunity to change the subject.

"Short stature can get you a lot of privileges." She said. "That and ultra good grades that let you skip a few years of school."

"I guess it couldn't hurt that your family makes most of the weapons found in this school." Mason pointed out.

"That too." She shrugged. "And- hey! You're trying to dodge the subject aren't you!?"

"Maybe I wouldn't if you didn't pry into my love preferences!" Mason countered.

"I wasn't prying; I was just making a point you were avoiding!" She spouted back.

"Ugh, see what I mean? It's all just confusing!" Mason insisted. "And I haven't even touched on trying to woo a girl. Getting on to like _me_ will probably be the hardest part of the equation."

"And when you do that, she'll probably be worth all the effort you pour into that." Pepper optimized.

"Stop trying to make me feel better, I'm not really anything special that a girl would want." Mason looked over to the same beautiful girl with silver hair and a large bust. "There's no way that girl is gonna look over here and go hey, look at that dude with his shirt off. Holy shit, I think my panties just pulled the fire alarm."

"What's with you all of a sudden? Have some confidence." Pepper grumbled. "Hopefully one day you'll think otherwise." She muttered as she set herself to sleep.

"Shut up." Mason called over his shoulder with an eye roll.

"I will the day you decide to kiss me." Pepper cooed playfully.

"You're so weird..." Mason said in conclusion.

Pepper shrugged, preferring to finally sleep.


	3. Chapter 3

A person rifled through her locker without emotions. They pulled out a large, dark green gauntlet with a texture like a motherboard and slid it over their right hand. The person wore a brown sweater and thick glasses below the spiky brown hair they sported.

"Hey there!" Pepper Miller appeared by her side, eyes on the gauntlet. "Sir, I really like your weapon! Did you make it? What can it do?"

"It's Kate, I'm a girl..." The person slowly turned to face Pepper. An awkward sweat drop appeared on Pepper head as she began a stuttered explanation, waving her arms in apology. A dark look appeared in Kate`s eyes as she fitted her gauntlet over her hand.

The sound of metal colliding, cats shrieking, and bones breaking resounded through the air.

"Ow..." Pepper twitched slightly. Her body was deformed and twisted into a strange position after the beating.

"Remember for next time." Kate pressed a finger against her armoured palm, making the entire gauntlet fold and shrink into a small band around her wrist.

"That went well." Mason joked as he closed his locker, revealing Pepper to his eyes.

"Oh shush." Pepper pouted as she took his offered hand. She carefully dusted off her treasured outfit, flattening out any folds. "It was a perfectly reasonable mistake."

"Hopefully you aren't too sore for the entrance examination." Mason commented as he walked away.

"Mason, dear?" Mason would turn to see an incredibly innocent smile on Pepper's face. "Could you dust me off? I couldn't bear the thought of going out like this." She turned her back to Mason, showing the dust that had collected on her back and small, round rear.

"Um... You see, I, uh..." Mason gulped, stalling for a few moments. His expression brightened when the old groundskeeper, Jenkins, passed by them with a cart. He snatched duster from the cart and handed it to him. "I think that's the janitor's job!"

"Do ya need some dusting done, young lady?" Jenkins smiled, showing old, worn teeth.

"No, I'm fine now..." Pepper sighed in disappointment. A speaker buzzed and sparked before coming to life.

"Would all first year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation. Again, all first year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately."

Pepper and Mason trudged off, having retrieved their weapons from their lockers.

"So Mason, we should definitely be partners!" Pepper said excitedly. You've seen Beulle Muerte, and I know what your Kusarigama can do!"

"My what?!" Mason exclaimed.

"The scythes, with the chain..." Pepper sighed. "It's your weapon. The original weapons design it is based off is called a Kusarigama. I made a similar one for a huntress once."

"How do you manage to know more about the weapon than the owner." Mason face-palmed.

"For years you have trained to become warriors, and today you will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest" Ozpin began. He stood beside Glynda with his inseparable cane in his hands. A line of students were all standing on a gray square lined up on a cliff.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today. These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well. That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." Mason searched for Pepper or Nixon down the line, but couldn't see them. The guy-I mean girl! The GIRL who Pepper met in the dressing room was beside him, though. He would have no say in his teammates then? Damn, that's rough... With all his luck he'd end up with some asshole that he could barely stand. Ozpin pulled out his scroll and sorted through what seemed to be pictures as he spoke.

"After you have partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path, or you will die. You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. You will guard that item, as well as your standing, and we will grade you appropriately." Ozpin tucked his scroll into his back pocket and turned to the crowd. "Are there any questions?"

"Yes sir!" A girl called out from down the line. "That's a very unfair way to pick partners! What if I wanted-AHHH!" Mason gulped as he saw her hurtling through the air towards the forest.

"No questions, good. Prepare yourselves before launch." Ozpin spun on his heels and left the cliff, Goodwitch in tide.

Without warning, Mason hurtled through the air. He yelled in surprise, but soon calmed himself. The sneaky bastards, not even waiting until the students were ready! Mason carefully angled his body to have minimal drag and maximum aerodynamics. The farther he could go in the air, the shorter he would have to run. He had something to prove, and was determined to finish the test first and with flying colors. When he could tell his flight was losing altitude fast, Mason pulled out a single small scythe. When he hit the tree line, he slammed it into the trunk of a tree. His momentum sent him spiralling around the tree with his scythe slowing his descent to a reasonable level. He pulled his scythe out and hit the ground, immediately setting off in a run.

Pepper hurtled through the air after him. She had tried to direct her trajectory towards where she had seen Mason disappear in the green foliage, but was unsure how accurate she was. She need not pull out Buelle Muerte, her semblance would do all the work for her. As she fell through the air, she sucked in a breath as deep as she could. The moment she pushed past the tree line, she let it all out in the shape of a cyclone directed at the ground. It took away massive amounts of her momentum upon hit. Pepper could be found in the middle, using her hoop skirt to slowly descent down the middle of it. When she landed, she heard a low cry and the ground shook.

"Looks like Nixon has touched down..." She chuckled.

About two hundred meters away, Nixon lay on his stomach in the center of a large crater. "That hurt..." He lifted himself off his knees and dusted of his black t-shirt, which displayed dirt prominently. If his mother saw him with a dusty shirt in public she'd have his hide.

Just then, he heard a mighty cracking noise. Moments later he narrowly avoided a large falling tree. Moments later, another. The Faunus looked around for explanation and immediately saw the perpetrator of the tree genocide.

A twelve year old girl with pink pigtails swung a hammer the size of an oil barrel over her head while giggling away. Nixon watched as she swung it with one hand, easily ripping through a collection of saplings. Looks like he had found his partner.

Further ahead Pepper frantically broke through underbrush. She had heard Mason's voice, and there was a figure in the clearing up ahead. She broke into the short grass with a massive grin, but it soon fell. First of all, there was Grimm staring at both of them from the other side of the clearing. Secondly, the figure was not Mason. It was a girl with shimmering silver hair that looked at her with a raised eyebrow and a sly smile.

"Now, is that any way to look when you meet your new partner?"

Mason heard the words somewhere off to his left, but he ignored them. Another two partnering up, nothing more. Mason cared little about partnering up for several reasons. Being with a partner slowed him down, although he accepted he would be paired eventually. The act of meeting each other and deciding on directions both took valuable time. Next, unpaired people would most definitely head to the ruins at the end of the forest. If someone was unpaired and looking for another person in their situation, it would be preposterous to head in any direction but the one that everyone else was heading in.

A fast series of rustles gave away something ripping through the trees. Only by raising his hands and creating a quick shield of aura did Mason survive the white head of a King Taijitu lunging at him.

"We have a most interesting stock this year..." Glynda crossed her arms and tucked her lips to one side of her mouth. Her and Ozpin looked over a series of screens floating in front of them. Each monitored different students from various angle.

"Hannah Maellum, the youngest student ever," She noted as she looked over a screen. It showed Hannah swinging her hammer without restraint while Nixon chased after her, trying to stop her and avoid her swing at the same time. "It seems she has paired up... I think the large one is the Nixon boy." She asked.

"They will definitely make an interesting pair. Both some of the strongest we have ever seen, yet painfully lacking in intelligence." Ozpin sipped from his mug, which had the Beacon logo proudly stamped on it. "What of our little weaponsmith, Ms. Miller?" Ozpin's eyes wandered the screens before latching onto one showing Pepper and her new partner. He immediately paid full attention.

"Why, Pepper has partnered with your little sister." Glynda hid a small smirk. It was pure satisfaction to see Ozpin worry about her, no matter how hard he tried to hide it.

"Um... yes." Ozpin gulped down a large amount of coffee. "Those two will get along, jsut fine I'm sure. Pepper will definitely appeal to Raven, and she'll enjoy having someone look up to her like Pepper will."

"Finally, our professional. Mason Marcotte, some of the highest marks in combat schools ever seen." Glynda brought up a smaller screen to take up most of the space. It showed Mason and a robed man growling and snapping at each other around the corpse of a Grimm snake. "Finally, Isaac North. Our records have scant information on him. As far as we know he showed up to a combat school in Vale one day and showed unique Aura control. The rest is history."

"This team ought to be interesting." Ozpin snorted as Mason fumed and stormed away from Isaac into the bushes.


End file.
